A white paper published by China’s cabinet has directly linked a separatist movement in Xinjiang autonomous region to Osama bin Laden. The report blamed ‘East Turkestan’ forces for more than 200 incidents between 1990 and 2001 and said they were a threat to regional security.
“The East Turkestan terrorist organisation based in South Asia has the unstinting support of Osama bin Laden and is an important part of his terrorist forces,” said the report.